(CNBC) — WASHINGTON — The Navy’s top civilian has resigned after criticizing an aircraft carrier captain who pleaded for help with a coronavirus outbreak on his ship, multiple outlets reported Tuesday.
The move comes hours after acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly apologized for ridiculing U.S. Navy captain Brett Crozier, whose letter pleading for help amid a coronavirus outbreak on a U.S. warship was leaked to the media.
“Let me be clear, I do not think Captain Brett Crozier is naïve nor stupid,” wrote Modly in a statement on Monday. “I believe, precisely because he is not naive and stupid, that he sent his alarming email with the intention of getting it into the public domain in an effort to draw public attention to the situation on his ship.”
